Summary: The second of two suspects in an armed robbery of a Cornelius residence last fall has been convicted and sentenced in Washington County Circuit Court.

The case: On Sept. 27, a man called Cornelius police and reported an intruder inside his house in the 500 block of Jasper Court. The intruder reportedly stole a rifle from the caller’s house and pointed it at him as he ran away. Later that day, police detained Christopher Serafin, 31, of Gaston. On Oct. 3, Hillsboro police spotted a suspect’s vehicle outside a house in the 400 block of Southeast Eighth Avenue. Police called the suspect numerous times, got no response, and remained on site overnight. About 7 a.m. the next day, the suspect surrendered without incident. William Martin Savage, 48, of Cornelius, was arrested on suspicion of burglary, robbery, theft and unlawful use of a weapon.

Update: A jury on March 28 found Savage guilty of one count of first-degree aggravated theft. Savage was acquitted on one count each of first-degree burglary and second-degree robbery. Serafin pleaded guilty last Dec. 10 to one count of first-degree burglary and was sentenced to three years of probation.

Sentence: Savage was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, followed by two years of post-prison supervision. Savage was fined $200 and ordered to pay $7,000 in attorney’s fees.